With publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the European F-gas regulations have passed officially into law.

Now eyes have started to turn toward the rest of the world and what other countries can do to move to a lower-GWP future. "If it can be done here, it can be done everywhere" seems to be the thinking in European climate policy circles.

As F-gas enshrines an HFC phasedown into law from Jan. 1, 2015, the Montreal Protocol is now being pursued as the best vehicle for a global phasedown of HFCs, and the U.S. submitted its proposed amendment to the Protocol earlier this month. Among other things, this envisages a stepped phasedown to 15 percent of the current HFC consumption volume by 2045.

The clamor for the European F-gas model to be followed globally has been joined in the last week from an interesting quarter: the European Fluorocarbons Technical Committee (EFTC), the body that represents producers of HFC in Europe.

The EFTC has issued a position paper encouraging adoption of the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol for a global HFC cap and phasedown. Significantly though, the EFTC has called for a reduction in HFC consumption, rather than production, as is prescribed in F-gas regulations.

Some may read this as "turkeys voting for Christmas," but many are viewing the document as an acceptance by the refrigerant producers that cutting back on "traditional" HFCs and pursuing new low-GWP options globally is the best way ahead for the industry and the environment.

The EFTC says it would encourage the Parties to the Montreal Protocol to move forward with a constructive dialogue to achieve an agreement for a global cap and reduction for HFC consumption on a GWP-weighted basis.

Its reasoning for using the Montreal Protocol as the vehicle was the critical role it has played in controlling consumption of first CFCs and latterly HCFCs, which would mean it could provide the necessary expertise to effectively implement a similar system for HFCs, the EFTC said.

The EFTC cites the need for a "clear long-term regulatory framework and time frame" — as exemplified by the new F-gas regulation — in order to enable R&D to progress at the necessary speed and for manufacturers to work towards adoption of lower GWP alternatives.

It noted that encouraging progress is being made by HFC producers to find low-GWP alternatives for a range of applications including aerosols, mobile air conditioning, insulating foams and commercial refrigeration.

The EFTC states: "It is estimated that the overall global warming impact of HFC emissions worldwide currently represents less than 2 percent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. While HFCs are the preferred solution for many societal needs because of their safety and performance advantages, without action, the demand for HFCs will grow ... and such growth would result in the use of HFCs becoming a more significant source of emissions in the future."

The refrigerant producers say the proposal submitted by North American countries for a cap and reduction of HFC consumption on a GWP-weighted basis "forms a good initial framework for a dialogue."

But the group stressed that any final agreement needs to be "realistic, balanced, flexible and fair." At the same time, the agreement will need to meet the needs of all the Parties to the Protocol and take into account industrial planning timescales and the capacity of industry to invest in new lower-GWP products and applications.

One thing that the EFTC is keen on, however, is stronger controls. It recommends that the Montreal Protocol Parties consider "legally-binding reduction targets" for developing countries. It continues: "We believe that this approach will allow HFCs to be used for their safety and performance where appropriate, encourage innovation for the use of lower-GWP alternatives and applications, but without significant disruption to the industries that use HFCs."

The 34th meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol will take place July 14-18 in Paris. It will be interesting to see whether the delegates from across the world embrace the prospect of moving away from HFCs with enthusiasm, particularly since countries like the U.S. are only now grappling with the exit from HCFCs.

Certainly the progress of the F-gas regulations will offer some pointers for the global phasedown. F-gas has passed into law, and the focus moves onto each country's implementation.

The UK’s implementation group is attempting to get to grips with what it all means in practice for the industry. It has sought clarification from its government representatives on some 15 different matters, from labelling to leak detection, which gives a clue as to the scale of the implementation task.

What we do know is that it will change industry custom and practice. For the first time, the European cooling industry will have to prepare for a service ban on higher-GWP equipment (from 2020) and that, experts predict, will see the end of popular use of R404A — the most common refrigerant for commercial use in Europe.

"The days of R404A are nearly over," consultant Ray Gluckman said.

Plus, experts warn, the mere fact that there is a phasedown will inevitably mean supply-and-demand issues over refrigerants.

"There will be a supply crunch around 2018, and the result will be potential price shocks," says John Ormerod, U.K. managing director of refrigerant distributor A-Gas.

At the same time, the European industry will need to learn to deal with mildly flammable gases, whether it is R32 for A/C use, or the HFO blends currently being developed for refrigeration.

"The industry will have to get used to moving quickly to new refrigerants and to working outside of its comfort zone," Ormerod said.

The rest of the world will be monitoring the situation carefully.